Merger-plank
* The first place to merge city and county services is our parks. * We need to make mergers in creative ways. : * Future mergers need to done in such a way that the city and county residents can both thrive, not just survive. * Only one office needs to sell dog licenses. :* I am still in shock that 2005 mayor candidate, Michael Lamb, D, repeated mentions about the foolishness of having two offices sell city and county's dog licenses did not lead to a fix. If I would have been either Bill Peduto or Bob O'Connor -- I would have seen to it that legislation to merge the dual dog license programs was presented. Lamb was right. And furthermore, neither Peduto nor O'Connor took the good idea and made it happen. * The city's overlords need to make a merger. :* Let's merge the Act 47 coordinators with the I.C.A. Meaningful mergers begin with value on all sides. Wonderful mergers can occur by deliberate design and proactive leaders when value is present on all sides. Most of the talk of mergers in today's political climate takes the form of a bailout, not a merger. Merger is one thing. A bailout is another. Sadly, the past politicians in the City of Pittsburgh have driven the city into such dispair that the county's upside of any merger negotiations is absent. Because the city can't put much "on the table" it is in a beggers role. Beggers don't have their way. Both city resident and county resident. * From both vantage points, I don't want bailouts. : * After the City regains a bit of its health, then real merger talks can begin. :: * The city needs to get its house in order. : * Allegheny County would be pulled downard by the extra burden that the City delivers. The city's dispair would be like a heavy anchor to be hauled around a lake in a small boat hardly floating. Another way to merge Take a little from A, B, C, D and make Z. Then Z can live a healthy life and the others do better too. Win-Win-Win squared. A three (or more) way merger gives a outcome. Take Citiparks out of City, take Parks & Rec out of County, take afterschool out of Pgh Public Schools, and take a nice chunk out of the RAD Tax that goes to those places now, add in some extras (Pgh Parks Conservancy, etc.) and then we'd get (like they have in Illinois) a new PITTSBURGH PARK DISTRICT. More at the parks position paper released in May, 2004. * The Citizens Police Academy was closed under the leadership of Tom Murphy. It made a valuable service for citizen and police interaction and understanding. Furthermore, that service could have been easily turned into a profit center for the city. It should be re-opened with a better business model so that people from throughout this region attend, on a fee basis. That academy should pull its own weight in terms of incomes and expenses. * The city and county should merge the training of police, firefighters and other public safety duties. Links * Merger category: Platform_Planks_from_Mark_Rauterkus